


Wake Up

by catra_cant_catch_me



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I want ya'll to hurt, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-07 15:16:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 5,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18413273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/catra_cant_catch_me/pseuds/catra_cant_catch_me
Summary: After the Horde's defeat against the battle at Bright-Moon, Catra is left feeling angry, hurt, and most of all trapped and cornered. And what happens when you trap and corner a wild animal?They strike back.Adora should be happy. The Rebellion won the most recent battle, and everyone is celebrating. Yet, she's plagued by worries and nightmares. She has the weight of the world, literally, on her shoulders.She can't let herself be caught off guard. By anything.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> alright, buckle up and sit down because this is going to be insane. my second fanfiction ever. I have no idea where this is going to go, I have no idea how long it'll be, I'm just going to keep writing until I decide it's over.
> 
> we are setting up right after the final battle in season 1. the story is mainly going to focus on Catra, and her redemption, because I really love my girl. I really hope you guys enjoy this!
> 
> leave a kudos or a comment if you like this!

Darkness.

That's all Adora could see when she woke up to another nightmare. She was in a pitch black room, in an incredibly comfortable bed. Or, at least, it would be comfortable had she not woken up in a cold sweat, leaving her feeling as though she was drowning in hot blankets she couldn't seem to get untangled from fast enough.

Her blonde hair was sticking to the back of her neck, her eyes were wide, and her usually strong and sturdy arms felt like pudding. She felt overwhelmed, shaking as she pulled herself up, gasping still. Her mind raced with hopeful, begging thoughts.

_"It's just another dream, Adora, it isn't real, calm down, please, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm-"_

Or so she tried to convince herself.

\-------------- 

Catra's grip tightened with her hands balled into fists, up against her forehead. The sharp nails she sported dug into her palms, a dull pain shooting through them, but she paid no mind. She was altogether too busy to be bothered to calm down.

She hadn't really expected this. None of it. From the mishaps and ultimate failure of the Horde's recent attack on Bright-Moon, to Adora betraying her. Leaving her. Without even turning to look back. Catra's fists tightened again once more before releasing, her anger growing.

Okay, Adora. You wanted something to change.

Let me give you change.


	2. What's Next?

"What's next?"

Adora had been chasing after Queen Angella for a couple of days now, trying to catch her in any spare moment the busy woman had. Yes, sure, they'd just won a huge battle against the Horde, but the war was far from over, and as long as it wasn't Adora couldn't be at ease. She just would let herself. Something had to give, someone had to win, they had to win. Queen Angella sighed.

"What's next, Adora, is that you rest. I've told you time and time again, yet you refuse to listen to me. I promise to let you know, as well as the others, when we have a plan moving forward. We've just won a battle, and you deserve to enjoy that. What will it take for you to slow down for a moment and relax?"

"She doesn't know _**how**_ to relax, Mom." Glimmer appeared from the hall's corner, Bow close to her heels. "Luckily for you though, Bow and I were just coming to get her for a sleepover. What do you say, Adora?!" The short girl spun to look at Adora, her eyes shimmering with excitement. Since the win against the Horde only a few short days ago, Glimmer had been an hyperactive ball of joy. Bow had seemed to relax, and hadn't given a voice crack during a conversation since. Angella had a small smile plastered on her face, and a wide grin during the speech given to citizens around the castle grounds after the battle.

Adora, on the other hand, hadn't been able to stay calm. She knew she should be happier than she was, and she was happy. But something wasn't right. As much as she hated to admit it, seeing Catra in that battle had really messed her up. 

"You know guys, I'm not really feeling it tonight. Maybe tomorrow?" Adora tried to give a reassuring smile. It obviously didn't work too well, as Glimmer narrowed her eyes and Bow sighed. 

"No, Adora. Not tomorrow. I've barely seen you since the fight. Please come spend some time with us." Adora winced at the gentle tone the pink haired girl used on her. She had been neglecting her friends, sure, but she was putting this sleepover off for a reason. Her nightmares weren't getting any better and it worried her to think of what her two best friends would say if they knew just how tired, stressed, and burnt out she was.

She looked at her friends, who both had genuine smiles on their faces. Hopeful expressions. Loving expressions.

"Okay." She nodded.

"Yes!" Glimmer jumped up and gave Adora a hug, and Bow started prattling on about what snacks they should grab from the kitchen, or what they should do.

\--------------------

Catra walked down a hallway, her head full of thoughts. Hordak had called for her to discuss their recent failure, and the thought of facing him now that he had time to collect his thoughts was terrifying, although she would never admit it. When she had seen him a few days prior, he had simply looked on at all of the Force Captains with disapproval, and sent them away. Now he wanted to see Catra alone.

"There you are!" Scorpia called to her. "I've been looking for you all day. Where have you been?"

"None of your concern."

"Awww, come on, don't be like that. Where are you going? Can I come with you?"

"If you want to sit in a room with Lord Hordak and I while he tells me just how badly I screwed up, and listen to him threaten me, sure." Catra responded sarcastically.  
Scorpia had been walking beside her, but she stopped. "He asked for you alone?" Catra nodded, her tail flicking back and forth. 

"That can't be anything good."

"Well gee," she spoke a little quieter, but colder, "thanks Scorpia. You really know how to cheer me up."

The tall woman seemed to deflate a bit, obviously getting the sarcasm. "I'll leave you alone."

Catra watched her walk away and almost felt sorry. Scorpia was a big dumb oaf, but she meant well, and was one of the only people in the Horde that was nice to her. She didn't need that though, and it was easier to keep her distance. She didn't want to care about her, no matter how kind Scorpia was. Catra had cared about Adora, and look where it got her.

No, she was done caring. She was done being hurt.

She stood outside of Lord Hordak's door, knocking three times.

"Come in."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok! we have Adora being a dumb worry-wart and Catra being a dumb jerk. what's new i guess


	3. Weakness

Adora shifted closer to Glimmer, leaning her back against her friend. It had been a few hours since she agreed to have a sleepover, and currently she was watching Bow tell a story. He was always so animated and expressive, Adora couldn't help but chuckle, even if the story wasn't all that funny to her. Glimmer seemed to enjoy it at least.

"Adora?" Bow was looking at her, concerned.

"Huh? Did I miss something?" Her attention was pulled to her friends.

"How about the past 5 minutes? Okay, that's it. We need to talk." Glimmer rolled her eyes, sitting up and turning to face Adora. "Bow, come here." With the two of them looking at her, trying to read her, Adora started to feel flustered. 

"We just won a huge battle," Glimmer started, "our most successful win since, well, I don't know, the beginning of this war." Her voice started to sound more stern, on the brink of annoyed. "I'm happy. Bow is happy. My mom is happy! Bright-Moon is happy. Adora, I'm worried because _**you**_ don't seem happy. Don't think we haven't noticed you walking around late at night, or spacing out during conversations, or staying in your room for hours."

Adora grimaced hearing this. She had tried as hard as she could to be normal. God, why couldn't she just be normal? Bow leaned forward and grabbed her hand, giving her a reassuring glance. 

"We care about you. We want to know what's going on. Maybe we can help with whatever is bothering you?" Adora glanced back and forth between the two sitting in front of her. She wasn't sure what to do. On one hand, her friends were right there, reaching out to help her. On another, it was weakness.

She was sure she had a problem with it because of the Horde. Weakness isn't acceptable. Never show it, never let it stop you, never have it. If you were weak, you will die. There was no question, no 'hopefully someone will save you', no trustworthy friends to protect you.

There was Catra.

Now her head was spinning. That's right, there was Catra. She trusted Catra. She cared about Catra.

Cared? Past tense. Cared.

_"No, that's not right. I still care. I shouldn't be cruel."_

_"Cruel like she is? What about all she did? All that she keeps doing? How many people has she hurt, including your friends? Including **you?** "_

"Adora!"

Her head snapped up, and she blinked. Oh, tears. She felt her eyes burning a little bit. Bow and Glimmer looked at her, worry plastered over their faces. "Adora, what is going on with you?" Glimmer pressed on, taking her other hand. Bow gripped the other tighter. "Sorry.." She started, her voice trailing off. "I think I just need a minute." She stood up, shaking their hands off of hers, and walked out of the room. Pushing through her own doors, she stood in the darkness that often felt suffocating at night.

Weakness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> adora angst? i'll take 7. nah, but really, i hope you guys enjoy this!! next chapter is going to be just catra. 
> 
> i know i said i'll be focusing on catra's redemption, and this fanfic will, but i'm surprising myself by just how much i love writing from adora's pov. oh well!
> 
> see you next chapter <3


	4. Not Far to Fall

"I will not tolerate inadequacy, Force Captain."

Catra stood as still as she could, trying to keep a straight face through shivers.

"I understand, Lord Hordak."

Hordak's frown deepens. "Do you?" He stood, walking closer to Catra. "If you hadn't shown remarkable incompetence in that battle, we may not be in the situation we are. I do not appreciate failure on my behalf." 

Now he stood directly in front of her. She tried to look past his piercing gaze, and gulped. 

"I apologize, Lord Hordak. It will not happen again."

"You're right. It won't. If it does, Force Captain, there will be dire... consequences. Understood?" Catra nodded. "You are dismissed." She turned and walked out of the room, a little faster than her normal pace. Rage and anxiety bubbled in her chest. If she hadn't lost, if The Rebellion hadn't won, if _**Adora**_ hadn't won, this wouldn't be happening. Her position and her life wouldn't be in jeopardy.

 _"Wasn't it always?"_ Her thoughts interupted her. _"I've never really been safe here. I don't even know what safe means. It isn't fair."_

She paused. That's right, this isn't her fault. What was happening wasn't fair, but that's okay. Catra didn't get to experience fair. That just means she didn't have to play by it's rules.

"Don't you worry, Hordak." A wide grin spread across her face. "I'll take care of this."

\-------------

Walking down the last couple of steps, Catra nodded to the guard standing outside of a prison cell. The guard knew why she was there, of course. There was no other prisoner she would ever go to see, and even this was rare.

"Shadow Weaver." Her voice was colder than she expected. It must be the stress. Or maybe she just hated the _thing_ that raised her more today than most. Catra watched her with narrowed eyes, a smirk on her face. It was nice, seeing Shadow Weaver locked away in a prison. Seeing her miserable.

The masked woman looked up, but the rest of her body did not move. 

"I've heard of your failure, Catra. Still a disappointment. How proud you must be."

"HEY." Catra growled, kicking the force diving them. The light beaming tripped up, and a couple sparks flew. Shadow Weaver slowly stood. "Show some respect, prisoner. Don't forget who calls the shots around here."

"It isn't you, if that's what delusion is clouding your mind. You seem fond of those. Delusions of being strong, delusions of being important. You are _**disposable,**_ just as you always were, just as Adora saw y-"

Catra opened the field suddenly and jumped into the cell, grabbing Shadow Weaver's neck, silencing her. "Listen to me, you rotting piece of shit." She was almost stunned by herself, but the anger she felt kept her going. "While you sit here and slowly die, I'll be out winning this war. I've won, Shadow Weaver. You've lost.

She started to squeezed Shadow Weaver's throat, earning a choked gasp from the prisoner. "Really, I just wanted to come here and thank you. You raised me to be a cold-hearted bitch, just like you. I'm sorry you couldn't do what I can." Catra released her, smelling a faint trace of blood. Her claws must've sunk into her skin.

"When I win this once and for all, the first thing I'm going to do is kill you. I'm going to make you suffer for all those years you made me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you gotta hit rock bottom at some point :)
> 
> catra is kind of losing it, but when isn't she? loved writing this chapter!
> 
> i really hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it! leave a comment, it fuels me to write more!
> 
> also screw shadow weaver


	5. Another Nightmare

_"No, Catra! Please!" Adora screamed, crying, begging her old friend. "Don't do this!"_

_There was smoke, fire, debris everywhere. She was laying on the ground, in pain. So much pain, where was it coming from? Glancing down, she noticed her vision was blurry. She also noticed the blood._

_Her hands were clutching her stomach, and blood was pooling around her. Adora couldn't control her panic, and her breathing was becoming more and more sporadic. She moved her attention back to Catra, who was holding onto someone._

_"Put her down, Catra. Please. No one else needs to get hurt, please just stop. I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, please!" She was holding onto Glimmer, who was unconscious. There was blood on Catra too._

_Bow? "Oh, god.." There was Bow, laying on the ground. He wasn't moving. Why wasn't he moving?! "Glimmer, Bow, wake up! Please, Catra, please stop!"_

_When Catra turned to look at Adora, she couldn't help but cry harder. Whoever was looking at her wasn't the person she once knew. There was no warmth in her eyes, no witty and sarcastic smile. Sobs wracked through Adora, and she started to hyperventilate._

_"Where was this panic when they hurt me, Adora?" Catra's voice split the air._

_"Are you upset because I'm hurting your friends? Gosh, that must be so hard to watch. Look at you, you're a mess. It's a shame," there was a flash, a loud noise, and she dropped Glimmer. "isn't it Adora?"_

_Adora screamed again._

_Catra walked towards her, kicking Bow out of the way._

_"Why didn't you cry for **me?!** Why didn't you try to help **me?!** This is on you. This," she motioned to all of the carnage, to the dead civilians and to her friends. "is all on you, Adora."_

"No!"

"Adora! Wake up!" Angella shook her, and Adora blinked up at her. Just another nightmare.

She was still gasping for breath, but her eyes were starting to adjust to her room. Queen Angella was there, looking at her with concern, a hand placed on Adora's arm. Bow and Glimmer stood a little behind her, horror on their faces. She propped herself up on her elbows and tried to take a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" Bow asked timidly, taking a few steps closer. "We heard you screaming, and when we came in you kept thrashing around. I tried to get you stop, but you wouldn't and-"

"I'm fine, Bow." Adora finally started to calm. "I'm okay now. It was a nightmare."

"Is this why you've been acting so weird the past few days?" It was Glimmer's turn to step forward, her voice soft with worry. "I knew something was wrong, but Adora, you need to talk to us. Please?"

She looked down at her sheets, her hands clenching them. She could talk to her friends, sure, and especially now that they knew something was up, she didn't have much of a choice. Adora glanced up at the Queen.

_Queen Angella, though.._

As if reading her mind, the woman stood up and gave a reassuring smile to her. "I think I'll go make us some tea." She turned and walked out, leaving Adora with her friends.

With that Adora let out a sigh, one she hadn't realized she was keeping in. Glimmer and Bow looked at her expectantly, and sat beside her on her large bed.

"Well.. I guess it started because of the battle.."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> adora, adora, adora. 
> 
> so we finally see what the nightmares consist of! poor girl has really been taking a beating.


	6. Broken Promises

She'd had enough.

This war couldn't be lost. Her life depended on it. Her honor, her glory, it all depended on winning this.

She just needed to figure out how, that's all.

Catra had a few options, sure. Right now, though, the only one that interested her was revenge. On Shadow Weaver, on Adora, on anyone that had ever hurt her.

Shadow Weaver had hurt her for years. She'd put her through literal hell. Made her feel like shit for just being alive.

And Adora did nothing to stop it. She said she cared about Catra, but she up and left the second she saw something better. Abandoned her like she meant nothing. 

That was worse than anything Shadow Weaver had put her through.

_"It doesn't matter what they do to us. You know? You look out for me, and I look out for you. Nothing really bad can happen as long as we have eachother."_

_"You promise?"_

_"I promise."_

There was a _**CRACK,**_ and a sharp pain shot up through Catra's arm. Maybe she shouldn't have punched that wall, but the bitterness she felt at the memory clouded any sense of judgement she'd had.

Now all she had was a burning desire to show Adora just how badly she'd hurt her. To inflict that pain back onto the one person she trusted. The one person she had loved enough to endure whatever Shadow Weaver threw her way.

_"Now, come on, can we go home already?"_

_"I'm not going home, Catra. I can't. Not after everything I've seen. Come with me! You don't have to go back there, we can fix this!"_

_"Are you **kidding**? You've known these people for, what, a couple of hours? And now you're going to throw everything away for them? What happened to you?"_

_"I don't know. But I have to do something. I'm sorry, Catra."_

Catra growled and shook her head. Adora was willing to leave her behind despite all they'd been through.

Fine. She was willing to do whatever despite what they'd been through, too.

Suddenly she was up and walking, borderline running. She had a plan.

"Lord Hordak!" 

He didn't take kindly to unannounced visitors, but as Catra knocked on the door to his throne room, she couldn't stop the grin on her face. She made a quick mental note to bandage that hand up later. It had hurt quite a bit since she'd punched that wall, but in the thrill of the moment she almost couldn't feel any pain.

"Come in." Came the stern voice in return. She bounded in, her eyes wide with excitement. Hordak looked less than happy to see her again after such a short amount of time.

"What is it, Force Captain? I'm not pleased with you, and would rather not have to discuss your punishment further."

She flinched at his words, but straightened her back and puffed her chest out.

"I **_promise,_** Lord Hordak, this will be worth your time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	7. What If?

Adora couldn't help but choke back tears when she told Glimmer and Bow about her dream. Seeing Bow shake his head sadly, seeing Glimmer hold her hands close to her heart. She knew they were worried. So was she.

"Are they all the same?" Bow tenderly asked. When Adora looked at him, she could almost start feeling better. He moved closer to her, reaching his hand out to grab hers.

"No." Adora admitted. "Sometimes it's just the two of us. She'll just look at me and say, 'what about me, what about me?' over and over again. I'll try talking to her, but she can't hear me, and she keeps getting louder until she's screaming and-"

Glimmer raised her hand to quiet Adora, looking at her with furrowed brows. 

"How long have you been having these nightmares?" Adora shrugged, trying to make it seem as if it wasn't too bad.

"A few days. They started the night after the battle. I just..." She trailed off, guilt prickling up her spine and into her head. "I saw her, during the battle. And after we won, she didn't look too good."

"We **_won,_** Adora. You can't forget that." Her mind flashed back to her dream, looking over at her friends laying on the ground unconscious, innocent people scattered on the ground. 

_"This is on you. This is all on you, Adora."_

"What if one day we don't win?" She asked, looking at her doors, opened slightly. She could almost imagine Horde soldiers marching past her room.

"People are going to keep getting hurt. People will keep dying, and one day, there might be a battle we don't win." Adora looked back at her friends, fear written across her face.

"Maybe." Glimmer nodded. She stood up and walked towards one of the windows showing a view of Bright-Moon.

"Maybe we won't win the next battle. Maybe more people will die." Leaning against the wall and crossing her arms, Glimmer gave Adora a small smile.

"My dad died in this war. I've known more people that have died. I've seen battles lost, Adora. It hurts every time." Adora tightened her grip on Bow's hands.

"But I believe in you. We believe in you. There isn't a single doubt in my mind about this war or about you." She glimpsed back outside and walked back to the bed they were piled into.

It felt good, knowing that her friend believed in her so much. But it also left a pit in her stomach. They were expecting this great victory from her.

_"What if I can't live up to their expectations?"_

Adora sighed and noticed the sun starting to rise from outside.

"And if I can't do it? If I let us all down, and we lose." Her voice shook. "What then?"

"Then we'll try again, and we'll still be there for you. We'll still believe in you and help you, Adora." Bow answered, confidence in his words.

"That's not how it was in the Horde. I guess I'm not used to the idea of failure without.. something bad happening." She admitted.

"You aren't in the Horde anymore. You are loved here by everyone, and you are loved even if we don't win." Glimmer said. " ** _We_** love you." 

Adora leaned forward and grabbed her two friends, pulling them into a tight hug. Sure, she was still a little scared, but right now she felt content.

As long as she had her friends with her, it didn't matter. They would look out for each other, no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> super sweet, freaking love glimmer and bow,
> 
> but ouch that last part hurt.


	8. Here's the Plan

"One of you is going in."

Catra's team looked at her dumbfounded. 

"Going in where?" Lonnie crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. Kyle shuffled back nervously, and Rogelio of course stayed silent as ever.

"The Rebellion." Catra started, "It's a plan I came up with. We've lost the battle at Bright-Moon, and that can't happen again. But how do we get the upper hand? They have She-Ra, and we can't win against that." The words stung at Catra, more than she expected. Admitting she couldn't win when fighting whatever that thing was, whatever Adora became, it hurt.

"We need to get in there and break them down from the inside. Once they are as weak as we can get them, we strike." She started to explain. "I'm sending one of you in to play the 'good' guy." Catra made quotation marks with her fingers. 

"I need you to build up a relationship with them. Some trust, some respect. Make them believe in what you say. Most likely, they'll want all of the information about the Horde that you have. You'll give them false information, and feed information back to us, as well as start whispering in their ears-

"Who's going?" Lonnie cut in, a spark of annoyance in her voice.

"I'm sorry, am I boring you?" Catra sneered, taking a step closer to the girl.

"Kinda." Lonnie replied, grinning. Catra stepped even closer, just a few inches away from her face.

"Listen to me carefully, you bitch. This plan fails, I'm going down, and you are sure as hell going down with me. Watch your fucking mouth or I'll stitch it up myself so I don't have to hear your voice again." Lonnie shoved Catra away, turning her head to the left and muttering under her breath about "losing it". Oh well, she didn't care. Turning her attention back to the rest of the group, she eyed the smallest.

"Kyle." His eyes were wider than they had been, watching the small scuffle go down. Now his shoulders stiffened and he straightened his back, looking to Catra.

"You're the one going in. Adora knew all of us which is a bit inconvenient, but I don't trust any other team, and you are the least threatening here. You're most likely to be trusted." She turned and faced a long hallway, flicking her tail, signaling for him to follow.

Once they were a certain distance from the rest of the group Catra stopped. Kyle looked at her with confusion, maybe even fear in his eyes. He was nervous, she could tell. But he couldn't afford to be.

"You can't screw this up, Kyle. You screw up and we die. Do you understand me?" He didn't hesitate to nod his head in agreement. 

"Lord Hordak has already promised that. This isn't a game anymore." She wanted to drill this into his head as much as she could. 

"This isn't a, 'oops, I messed up, I'm getting punished' deal. If you can't pull this off, _**you**_ are going to die, I am going to die, Lonnie will die, Rogelio will die. That's it. We die." Catra could hear her voice get colder and colder as she spoke. She'd never really hated Kyle, she only hated how weak he was, but there was a bit of pity in her when she saw how terrified the kid looked.

Kyle was silent most of the time, only talking to Rogelio, considering he would often get beat up or harassed over stuff he said. Catra didn't particularly like hearing his voice, or really anyone's for that matter, but right now the silence killed her. She needed to know he could do this, that he wouldn't cave under the pressure.

"I need you to tell them to kill me." The words flew out of her mouth smoothly, like she'd been rehearing. Well, she sort of had been.

"Tell them I'm giving Hordak all the plans, I'm a huge link in this army, and to gain more ground, they need me gone. Push this idea like your life depends on it. Your life **_does_** depend on it. If they don't believe you, we fail, and we die."

Kyle only nodded again.


	9. Blow Up

After their talk, Adora still couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was happening. After all, the Horde specialized in horrible. She knew she should have more faith in whatever her friends told her, but there was a sinking feeling in her gut that told her things weren't as easy as they seemed. 

"Adora?" Queen Angella approached her. She had just finished up breakfast, not having had a wink of sleep past her nightmare last night. Honestly, she had planned on going back to her room for a nap now that she had something in her stomach, but if Angella wanted to talk to her, it could wait.

"Yes?" Adora responded, quickly standing up from her seat.

"Did you have an idea for what the next strategy is?" She followed with almost immediately. Despite how tired she had felt the past week, Adora was restless. The longer they waited, the longer the Horde had to recover.

"No." Angella's smile faltered slightly. 

"I still want you to rest, that hasn't changed. I wanted to talk to you about last night."

Oh. Well that wasn't exactly what Adora had wanted to do, but there didn't seem to be much of an escape from it. She'd been avoiding Glimmer's mother for the majority of the morning, but she knew there was no avoiding it.

"Sure! Sure." Adora's voice went up an octave or two, trying to give the impression that she was one hundred percent okay with this. She definitely was not. 

Queen Angella motioned for her to sit back down, and Adora reluctantly complied.

"I've been worried about you since the battle ended, but last night really showed me that we needed to discuss whatever is happening to you. I realize you are anxious to continue this war and I appreciate that. I really do." She begun what sounded like would be a very long talk. Adora just smiled and tried to not scream out loud at how incredibly awkward this was.

"I want the best for those under my command, but you clearly haven't been at your best since the battle ended. I need to know why, _**exactly why**_ , Adora, or I can't help you. I know how motivated you are to win this war. I just don't know if I can trust you when there's something this pressing holding you back."

There was that sinking feeling in her gut again. Queen Angella didn't trust her? After all she'd done for the Rebellion, and after all she'd won for them. All because of some **_stupid nightmare?_** Adora couldn't help but cross her arms and narrow her eyes. 

"I give you a lot of freedom in your role as She-Ra, and as of now it has been a tremendous help. But you haven't been sleeping, you refuse to rest, you've been distant from everyone, and with all the eagerness to get back to the fight so quickly-" Angella paused and looked more intently at Adora, and the same worried expression deepens. 

"I can't help but wonder if there's some other reason you are so desperate to make contact with the Horde again."

Adora's hands slammed down on the table more loudly than she expected when she stood suddenly. 

_"How **dare** she question me like that?"_

Angella's eyes were wide, now looking up to Adora. She wasn't sure, but Adora could've sworn she saw a flash of fear in her eyes. 

"I don't understand. I'm doing exactly what you'd want any other soldier to do. I'm ready for battle." Her voice was getting louder and louder, she could tell, but the blood rush sounding like waves in her ears muted it. 

"I couldn't care less about whatever it is you are implying. My nightmares mean nothing, they don't hold me back from what's most important right now. Anything else you wanted to say?" Adora cut off the conversation coldly, clearly showing she didn't want it to go on.

Angella's face turned into a scowl. Oh, Adora had upset her alright. But now the panic of the situation was setting in, and she needed to get out of there.

She turned her heel and stormed out of the room, heading back to her own.

This was just another problem she'd deal with later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok adora chill
> 
> angella is just worried my dude, no need to be uptight bout it
> 
> anyway hope you enjoy!!
> 
> next chapter should be up by the 30th and the only reason i say that is to guilt myself into doing it.
> 
> stop procrastinating, self


End file.
